Cheap Seat - Miller only succeeds in ducking the blame

Published: Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 8:41 p.m.

Gary Miller knew what was about to happen.

When the UNCW chancellor reached the money line from his Thursday morning announcement at the Burney Center – that the UNCW athletic program would stay at 19 sports – the large contingent of swimming and diving athletes and alumni unleashed a round of hollers and applause that stopped the proceedings in their tracks.

It also masked the sound of too many people being run over by a bus.

After the applause died down, Miller quickly joked, “Was it something I said?”

His decision to keep the status quo at UNCW, however, is far from a laughing matter.

Miller received the chance to take a big and bold step for UNCW athletics, to emphatically set a leaner, wiser vision for a department with an empty checkbook.

Instead, by taking the complete opposite path from recommendations presented by the Intercollegiate Athletic Review Committee, he has irresponsibly prolonged the agony for everyone involved.

All talk, no action

Three months ago, Miller took 19 influential members of his community, including leaders of university departments and the school's all-time winningest coach in any sport, and told them to make one of the hardest possible decisions they had made in their academic lives.

They spent hundreds of man hours to produce a concise list of improvements, suggestions and demands of the university moving forward. They led their section on institutional commitment and support with a sentence obvious to virtually everyone involved with UNCW athletics in the last decade: “The issues the Department of Athletics is now facing are the result of years of temporary solutions.”

The chancellor responded to their call for help with another cruel temporary solution.

Miller said his direction was swayed by looking people in the eye to “see how deep this passion was” to keep athletics around. No offense, Dr. Miller, but people get mighty passionate when you hold a gun to their heads.

Miller's choice really does sound noble, this concept of letting the people put their money where their mouth has been, “a strong appeal to this community, which showed enormous passion, to continue that passion,” he said in a short question-and-answer session.

In reality, though, Miller has staked the future of athletics on a fan base that has turned its back on UNCW at an alarming rate in the past five years.

Ticket sales have skidded. Lack of overall giving has sent a robust athletic reserve fund to the brink of bankruptcy. The Seahawk Club and its dwindling membership will miss its fundraising goal by nearly $600,000 for the 2012-13 school year.

In context, if every person that joined the Save UNCW Swim and Dive Facebook page donated $20, that would only equal an additional $244,180. That's the size of the hill facing new Seahawk Club director Rob Aycock and his staff.

Looking out for No. 1

But Miller wasn't quite done gunning down honest talk on Thursday.

He later emphasized to both the media and the Board of Trustees that a longer look at facilities and priorities must be made. Yet a specific list of action steps is already in the school's athletic strategic plan.

Miller also said that most pleas in IARC interviews “came from im­pressions coaches have about their facilities. We need a little more actual analysis.”

That's a direct slap in the face to any coach who took the time and effort to go before that committee honestly. These coaches are the ones on the sidelines, walking the pitches, courts and fields across the east coast and the Colonial Athletic Association.

Miller's comment calls their assessments petty and uninformed.

That type of reckless leadership burns bridges, not build them. By attempting to put the onus on the community, he's left behind those across the university that deal with these students on a daily basis. He's made them the bad guys.

And in one final measure of covering his own back, Miller snuck in this line just before he delivered the “good” news:

“I have concluded that ultimately, there is (passion and financial commitment), and indeed there must be, or we will not be able to continue these programs.”

What those numbers are, Miller's not saying. But no matter what, they all add up to him taking none of the blame for the future of UNCW athletics.

<p>Gary Miller knew what was about to happen.</p><p>When the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic71"><b>UNCW</b></a> chancellor reached the money line from his Thursday morning announcement at the Burney Center – that the UNCW athletic program would stay at 19 sports – the large contingent of swimming and diving athletes and alumni unleashed a round of hollers and applause that stopped the proceedings in their tracks.</p><p>It also masked the sound of too many people being run over by a bus.</p><p>After the applause died down, Miller quickly joked, “Was it something I said?”</p><p>His decision to keep the status quo at UNCW, however, is far from a laughing matter.</p><p>Miller received the chance to take a big and bold step for UNCW athletics, to emphatically set a leaner, wiser vision for a department with an empty checkbook.</p><p>Instead, by taking the complete opposite path from recommendations presented by the Intercollegiate Athletic Review Committee, he has irresponsibly prolonged the agony for everyone involved.</p><p>All talk, no action</p><p>Three months ago, Miller took 19 influential members of his community, including leaders of university departments and the school's all-time winningest coach in any sport, and told them to make one of the hardest possible decisions they had made in their academic lives.</p><p>They spent hundreds of man hours to produce a concise list of improvements, suggestions and demands of the university moving forward. They led their section on institutional commitment and support with a sentence obvious to virtually everyone involved with UNCW athletics in the last decade: “The issues the Department of Athletics is now facing are the result of years of temporary solutions.”</p><p>The chancellor responded to their call for help with another cruel temporary solution.</p><p>Miller said his direction was swayed by looking people in the eye to “see how deep this passion was” to keep athletics around. No offense, Dr. Miller, but people get mighty passionate when you hold a gun to their heads.</p><p>Miller's choice really does sound noble, this concept of letting the people put their money where their mouth has been, “a strong appeal to this community, which showed enormous passion, to continue that passion,” he said in a short question-and-answer session.</p><p>In reality, though, Miller has staked the future of athletics on a fan base that has turned its back on UNCW at an alarming rate in the past five years.</p><p>Ticket sales have skidded. Lack of overall giving has sent a robust athletic reserve fund to the brink of bankruptcy. The Seahawk Club and its dwindling membership will miss its fundraising goal by nearly $600,000 for the 2012-13 school year.</p><p>In context, if every person that joined the Save UNCW Swim and Dive <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/facebook"><b>Facebook</b></a> page donated $20, that would only equal an additional $244,180. That's the size of the hill facing new Seahawk Club director Rob Aycock and his staff.</p><p>Looking out for No. 1</p><p>But Miller wasn't quite done gunning down honest talk on Thursday. </p><p>He later emphasized to both the media and the Board of Trustees that a longer look at facilities and priorities must be made. Yet a specific list of action steps is already in the school's athletic strategic plan. </p><p>Miller also said that most pleas in IARC interviews “came from im­pressions coaches have about their facilities. We need a little more actual analysis.”</p><p>That's a direct slap in the face to any coach who took the time and effort to go before that committee honestly. These coaches are the ones on the sidelines, walking the pitches, courts and fields across the east coast and the Colonial Athletic Association.</p><p>Miller's comment calls their assessments petty and uninformed. </p><p>That type of reckless leadership burns bridges, not build them. By attempting to put the onus on the community, he's left behind those across the university that deal with these students on a daily basis. He's made them the bad guys.</p><p>And in one final measure of covering his own back, Miller snuck in this line just before he delivered the “good” news:</p><p>“I have concluded that ultimately, there is (passion and financial commitment), and indeed there must be, or we will not be able to continue these programs.”</p><p>What those numbers are, Miller's not saying. But no matter what, they all add up to him taking none of the blame for the future of UNCW athletics.</p><p>Reach sports editor Dan Spears at 343-2038 or Dan.Spears@StarNewsOnline.com.</p>